Temperature-controlled sorption system

ABSTRACT

A temperature controller for a sorption system having an evaporator to produce a gas, a sorber containing a sorption material to sorb the gas during a sorption phase, a flow channel extending between the evaporator and sorber to provide a gas pathway connecting them, a valve to control the rate of gas flow in the flow channel, and a temperature sensor positioned to measure the temperature of an evaporator surface or the air adjacent thereto indicative of an evaporator surface temperature, and generate a temperature signal. The controller includes an inflatable member having first and second inflation states, and a control unit configured to evaluate the temperature signal and in response control the state of inflation of the inflatable member and thereby the operation of the valve to control the rate of gas flow between the evaporator and sorber through the gas pathway.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Nonprovisional patentapplication Ser. No. 17/330,165, filed May 25, 2021, and is aContinuation-in-Part of U.S. Nonprovisional patent application Ser. No.16/888,483, filed May 29, 2020, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/936,942 filed Nov. 18, 2019, andU.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/855,626 filed May 31, 2019,the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein in theirentirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a temperature control for sorptionsystems.

Description of the Related Art

Sorption systems based on the sorption principle are described, forexample, in the U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/888,483 (U.S.Publication 2020-0378656), filed on May 29, 2020, which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

A sorption system is a device that raises heat from a lower temperaturelevel to a higher temperature level by vaporizing a working fluid in anevaporator and sorbing it in a sorbent container that contains asorbent. The evaporator and the sorbent container are connected to oneanother by a steam channel. The evaporation of the liquid working mediumto a vapor working medium in the evaporator requires heat. If not enoughheat flows in, the evaporator cools down. The sorption of the workingmedium in the sorbent container in turn releases heat. This heat has tobe dissipated. One use of a sorption system is as a sorption coolingsystem.

In order to keep the evaporation temperature at the required temperaturelevel, the flow of the working fluid vapor through the steam channelmust be regulated by means of a valve. The evaporator is housed in aninsulated transport box while the sorbent container located outside thetransport box can dissipate its sorption heat to the environment.

In sorption cooling systems, effective and reliable control of the valveflow rate is difficult, especially when the control has to work reliablyfor many days. Sorption cooling systems are increasingly being used forshipping temperature-sensitive goods, including medicines. Thetemperature of the transported goods must be in a very narrowtemperature range, e.g. +2 to +8° C. The ambient temperatures occurringduring transport can naturally fluctuate rapidly and strongly. Forexample, when transporting certain vaccines, the vaccine storage spacetemperature may only fluctuate between +2° C. and +8° C. The externaltemperatures can be between −25° C. and +43° C. The transport time canbe more than 6 days. The power consumption of the temperature controlmust be minimized over long transport times and preferably also duringthe previous storage times.

When transporting sorption cooling systems, strong vibrations and fallsfrom high heights can occur. If sorption systems are used fortemperature-controlled transport, the manufacturing and operating costsmust be particularly low. It often happens that the cooling system canonly be used for a single transport route. For logistical reasons, it isoften not possible or useful to return the transport used to theoriginating source.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing of a sorption system in accordance withthe present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross sectional view of a valve for use with thesorption system of FIG. 1 showing the valve in a closed position.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross sectional view of a temperature controllerdocked with the valve of FIG. 2, showing the valve in the closedposition.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross sectional view of a temperature controllerdocked with the valve of FIG. 2, showing the valve in the openedposition.

FIG. 5 is a schematic drawing of a sorption heat pump system and a phasechange material buffer.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross section drawing of a temperature-controlledcontainer with a thermal regulation system in cooling configurationusing a sorption heat pump and a phase change material buffer.

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross section drawing of a temperature-controlledcontainer with a thermal regulation system in heating configurationusing a sorption heat pump and a phase change material buffer.

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross section drawing of a temperature-controlledcontainer with a thermal regulation system in universal configurationusing a sorption heat pump, a phase change material buffer, and a heatpipe heater.

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross section drawing of a temperature-controlledcontainer with a thermal regulation system in cooling configurationusing an externally rechargeable sorption heat pump and a phase changematerial buffer in contact with the sorber.

FIG. 10 is a schematic cross section drawing of a temperature-controlledcontainer with a thermal regulation system in cooling configurationusing an internally rechargeable sorption heat pump and a phase changematerial buffer in contact with the sorber.

FIG. 11 is a schematic cross section drawing of a two-chambertemperature-controlled container, where each chamber is a differenttemperature, using a sorption heat pump system and multiple phase changematerial buffers.

FIG. 12 is an exploded view of the components of the sorption heat pump.

FIG. 13 is a view of an example thermal control unit.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of an example thermal control unit.

FIG. 15 is an example of a vapor pathway coupler.

FIG. 16A is a cross section view of an example thermal control unitvalve mechanism shown with the vapor pathway opened.

FIG. 16B is a cross section view of the example thermal control unitvalve mechanism of FIG. 16A shown with the vapor pathway closed.

FIG. 16C is a cross section view of a second example thermal controlunit valve mechanism using an internal stopper forming a barrier withinthe vapor pathway, shown with the vapor pathway opened.

FIG. 16D is a cross section view of the second example thermal controlunit valve mechanism of FIG. 16C using an internal stopper forming abarrier within the vapor pathway, shown with the vapor pathway closed.

FIG. 17A is a cross section view of an example insulated container madeof vacuum insulation panels.

FIG. 17B is a cross section view of another example insulated containermade of vacuum insulation panels.

FIG. 18 is a graph of thermal performance of a first exampletemperature-controlled container using a sorption heat pump, phasechange material buffers and a heat pipe heater.

FIG. 19 is a graph of thermal performance of a second exampletemperature-controlled container using a sorption heat pump, phasechange material buffers and a heat pipe heater.

FIG. 20 is a graph of thermal performance of a third exampletemperature-controlled container using a sorption heat pump, phasechange material buffers and a heat pipe heater.

FIG. 21 is a graph of thermal performance of a fourth exampletemperature-controlled container using a sorption heat pump, phasechange material buffers and a heat pipe heater.

FIG. 22 is a graph of thermal performance of a prototype of the twochamber temperature-controlled container of FIG. 11, where one chamberis heated and one chamber is cooled by the sorption heat pump.

FIG. 23A is a cross section view of a third example thermal control unitvalve mechanism shown with a valve operated to open the vapor pathway.

FIG. 23B is a cross section view of a third example thermal control unitvalve mechanism shown with the valve operated to close the vaporpathway.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The temperature controller of the present invention preferably providesa reusable temperature control for sorption systems that work in avacuum. Preferably, the temperature controller can actuate a valve thatis located in a separate vacuum system. The pre-selectable evaporationtemperature of the sorption system should be adhered to. Preferably, itis possible to connect the temperature controller to exchangeablesorption systems with simple means. Preferably, the temperaturecontroller should be reusable. Preferably, the temperature controllershould be removable from the sorption systems with which used withoutuse of tools and be just as easy to reconnect to a fresh sorption systemwithout the use of tools.

A sorption system 1000 using a battery-operated temperature controller1120 in accordance with the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. Thesorption system 1000 includes an evaporator 1001 in which a liquidworking medium is absorbed in a fleece (not shown). As shown in FIG. 2,the evaporator 1001 has a flexible, vacuum-tight outer shell 1028 madeof an upper flexible film 1030 and a lower flexible film 1032, which aresealed in a gas-tight manner at their adjoining seams by known sealingmethods. The fleece is divided into four sections. The evaporator 1001can be bent at contact lines 1004 of the sub-areas of the evaporator inorder for it to be inserted precisely into an insulated transport box orpayload compartment (not shown). An electrical heating circuit 1007 maybe inserted into the interior of the insulated transport box. Theheating circuit 1007 is used to heat the interior of the insulatedtransport box when the ambient temperature within the box is below arequired control temperature. A temperature sensor 1129 senses thetemperature of the evaporator 1001 surface and/or the air adjacent tothe evaporator surface indicative of the evaporator surface temperature,and generates a temperature signal, and reports the temperature to thetemperature controller 1120 via a communication channel 1006, which maybe a wire or a wireless signal. In response to a sensed temperaturebeing below the control temperature, the temperature controller 1120takes over the control and regulation of the heating circuit 1007. Thetemperature sensor may or may not form a portion of the temperaturecontroller.

The evaporator 1001 is connected to a sorbent container 1002 via a steamflow channel 1003. Working medium steam can flow through the steam flowchannel 1003 to the sorbent container 1002, provided that anintermediate valve 1010 (shown in FIG. 2) is kept open by thetemperature controller 1120. A granulated sorbent 1005 in the sorbentcontainer 1002 may sorb the working medium vapor flowing in. The sorbent1005 may contain, for example, zeolite, which stores the working mediumvapor in its lattice structure. During sorption heat is released. Thetemperature controller 1120 operates the valve 1010 that is located inthe steam flow channel 1003 in response to the temperature measured bythe temperature sensor 1129.

As described above, the valve 1010 is arranged between the evaporator1001 and the sorbent container 1002. The valve 1010 and temperaturecontroller 1120 are shown in greater detail in FIGS. 3 and 4.

In FIGS. 3 and 4, the temperature controller 1120 is shown removablydocked to the valve 1010 using suitable contact surfaces 1121 and 1122of the temperature controller. The lower contact surfaces 1122 can bedesigned to be foldable or displaceable relative to the upper contactsurfaces 1121 to securely but removably, attach the temperaturecontroller 1120 to the valve 1010 and hence the flow channel 1003 of thesorption system 1000. While securely attached by the contact surfaces1121 and 1122, the temperature controller 1120 is easily detachable fromthe valve 1010. This permits the selective separation of the temperaturecontroller 1120 from the remainder of the sorption system 1000 and thereuse with the valve 1010 of a different sorption system unit. While thetemperature controller 1120 may only move minimally during operation,nevertheless, it should be possible to detach the temperature controller1120 quickly and without tools from the valve 1010 and to be able todock it again just as quickly on a new sorption system. FIG. 2 shows thevalve 1010 with the temperature controller 1120 removed. The valve 1010and the other portions of the sorption system 1000, other than thetemperature controller 1120, are usually disposed of as a single-useproduct after being used or are reprocessed elsewhere, while thetemperature controller 1120 may be reused several times with differentunits of the sorption systems.

FIG. 3 shows the valve 1010 in a closed position with the temperaturecontroller 1120 docked to the valve for use. The temperature controller1120 includes an inflatable air bladder or pouch 1123, an air compressor1124 operated by a motor 1130, an air outlet valve 1125 and anelectrical control unit 1126, interconnected by an air line system 1132.The control unit 1126 optionally includes a pressure sensor 1127, thetemperature sensor 1129, and a signal unit 1128. The control unit 1126works with the temperature sensor 1129 to control the inflatable pouch1123. Two exchangeable, electrical batteries 1140 are provided to powerthe temperature controller 1120. Preferably, the control unit 1126includes a microcontroller mounted on an electronic circuit board,operatively connected to the temperature sensor 1129 and the aircompressor 1124, and configured to read the temperature signal of thetemperature sensor. The valve 1010 regulates the working medium vaporflow from the evaporator 1001 to the sorbent container 1002 (see FIG.1). By opening or closing the valve 1010, the cooling power of thesorption system 1000 is controlled and thus regulates the evaporationtemperature. The inflatable pouch 1123 is used to actuate the valve1010, which is located outside of the temperature controller 1120 and inthe flow channel 1003 of the sorption system 1000, and in a separatevacuum system. The temperature controller 1120 is reusable with sorptionsystems that work in a vacuum. The temperature controller 1120 canprecisely adhere to a pre-selected evaporation temperature of thesorption system 1000.

The flow channel 1003 is formed by overlapping, gas-permeable upper andlower spacer grids 1020 and 1022, respectively. The upper and lowerspacer grids 1020 and 1022 are enclosed in a gas-tight manner by theupper flexible film 1030 and the lower flexible film 1032 of thevacuum-tight outer shell 1028. In the case of sorption systems thatoperate under vacuum, the upper and lower flexible films 1030 and 1032are pressed onto the upper and lower spacer grids 1020 and 1022,respectively, by external air pressure. The vapor of the gaseous workingmedium flows through the flow-open spacer grids 1020 and 1022.

The valve 1010 includes a mushroom-shaped sealing element 1040 havingcircular sealing plate 1050 connected to an upwardly extending plunger1060 with a upper end portion 1061. The sealing plate 1050 has acircumferentially extending and upwardly projecting seal portion 1062that is pressed into sealing engagement with a lower side of a flatsilicone seal 1070 when the valve is in the closed position as shown inFIG. 3. It is noted that the seal 1070 may be made from suitablematerials other than silicone. The silicone seal 1070 has a flow opening1072 through which the plunger 1060 upwardly extends. The upper side ofthe silicone seal 1070 is in turn pressed onto a middle flexible film1080, which contains a flow opening 1090 aligned with the opening 1072of the silicone seal 1070, and through which the plunger 1060 upwardlyextends. The upper spacer grid 1020 also has a flow opening 1021 alignedwith the opening 1072 of the silicone seal 1070 and the opening 1090 ofthe middle flexible film 1080, and through which the plunger 1060extends.

The outer perimeter portion of the middle flexible film 1080 is sealedwith the upper flexible film 1030 in such a way that the flow openings1072 and 1090 provide the only flow path for the working medium vapor toreach the upper spacer grid 1020. To stiffen the valve 1010, a plasticsupport plate 1100, which is also perforated, is positioned above themiddle flexible film 1080 and coplanar with the silicone seal 1070 andmiddle flexible film 1080, and has a flow opening 1102 aligned with theopening 1072 of the silicone seal 1070 and the opening 1090 of themiddle flexible film 1080, and through which the plunger 1060 extends.Another plastic support plate 1110 is positioned above and coplanar withthe upper spacer grid and has an opening 1112 aligned with the opening1072 of the silicone seal 1070, the opening 1090 of the middle flexiblefilm 1080, the opening 1102 of the support plate 1100, and the opening1021 of the upper spacer grid 1020, and through which the plunger 1060extends. The opening 1112 of the plastic support plate 1110 is of areduced size compared to openings 1072, 1090 and 1102 to facilitateguiding of the plunger 1060 as it moves up and down during operation.

It is noted that the lower flexible film 1032 is positioned below thebottom of the sealing plate 1050. As such, when under a vacuum withinthe steam flow channel 1003, the lower flexible film 1032 presses upwardon the sealing plate. The upper flexible film 1030, on the other handunder such a vacuum, presses downward on the mushroom-shaped upper endportion 1061 of the plunger 1060. The closing force that acts betweenthe silicone seal 1070 and the seal portion 1062 of the sealing plate1050 is thus proportional to the difference between the respective areasof the sealing plate 1050 and the upper end portion 1061 of the plunger1060. The effective closing force on the sealing element 1040 maytherefore be designed by choosing the geometry of these two portions ofthe plunger 1060. In the illustrated embodiment, the valve 1010 isdesigned to normally be in the closed position as shown in FIG. 3.

To open the valve 1010 to the opened position shown in FIG. 4 and openthe flow opening 1072 of the silicone seal 1070, the upper end portion1061 of the plunger 1060 is pushed downward sufficient to move the sealportion 1062 of the sealing plate 1050 downward to a position below andspaced away from the silicone seal and hence out of sealing engagementwith the silicone seal 1070. To close the flow opening 1072, only theapplied opening force needs to be reduced sufficiently to permit theseal portion 1062 of the sealing plate 1050 to move upward into fluidsealing engagement with the silicon seal 1070. The valve 1010 istherefore always closed when no additional downward force acts on theupper end portion 1061 of the plunger 1060. A force is therefore onlyrequired when operating the sorption system 1000. A separate locking ofthe valve 1010 is not necessary to keep the valve 1010 closed. Thelocking is maintained by the pressure difference between the vacuumwithin the steam flow channel 1003 and the external ambient airpressure.

As shown in FIG. 3, the inflatable air pouch 1123 is positioned betweena stationary interior upper wall of the temperature controller 1120 anda moveable pressure plate 1131. Preferably, the pressure plate 1131 is arigid plate. To move the valve 1010 to the opened position shown in FIG.4 from the closed position shown in FIG. 3, the air compressor 1124 ofthe temperature controller 1120, in response to a signal from thecontrol unit 1126, pumps air into the line system 1132 until thepressure sensor 1127 responds, or until a preset pressure is reached, oruntil a prespecified period of time ends. The air pressure supplied bythe air compressor 1124 via the line system inflates the air pouch 1123,causing the air pouch to expand and press downward on the moveablepressure plate 1131, which moves the pressure plate downward intodownward driving engagement with the upper end portion 1061 of theplunger 1060. The pressure plate 1131 is preferably a torsion-resistant,glass fiber reinforced plate having a relatively large area such that tomove the plunger 1060 sufficiently downward to open the valve 1010, theair pressure in the line system 1132 may be kept at less than 300 hPa. Apressure of approximately 250 hPa and an effective plate area of only 20cm² results in a force of about 50 N. Since the valve 1010 is fixed inposition relative to the temperature controller 1120 by the contactsurfaces 1121 and 1122, and cannot evade the pressure, the valve plate1050 is moved downward and separates from the silicone seal 1070sufficiently to be out of sealing engagement with the silicone seal andpresses the flexible upper flexible film 1030 located above themushroom-shaped upper end portion 1061 of the plunger 1060 downward,overcoming the upward force being applied to the sealing plate 1050 ofthe sealing element 1040 of the valve 1010 by the external ambient airpressure. This opens the steam flow channel 1003 and provides a vaporchannel indicated by the arrows 1133 in FIG. 4, permitting vapor to flowalong the vapor channel from the evaporator 1001 to the sorbentcontainer 1002.

As soon as the control unit 1126 gives a signal to close, the air outletvalve 1125 opens and pressurized air within the pouch 1123 may flow outof the pouch, thus allowing the pouch to contract and remove thedownward force being applied to the upper end portion 1061 of theplunger 1060, and allowing the sealing element 1040 to move upward andthe valve 1010 to return to the normally closed position shown in FIG.3.

As discussed above, the inflatable pouch 1123 acts on the sealingelement 1040, which is under vacuum. The flexible and inflatable pouch1123 can exert its force effect even with poorly coordinated contactpoints. When the pouch 1123 is depressurized, the temperature controller1120 can easily be docked on the valve 1010 or dedocked.

The control unit 1126 is an electronic controller with logic andcircuitry configured to receive data from one or more signal units, suchas temperature sensors or pressure sensors, and to output signals to oneor more display units, lights such as LEDs, electrical heating circuits,and operable components, such as motor, air compressors, or valves.Preferably, the control unit 1126 activates the electrical heatingcircuit when the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 1129falls below a preselected temperature. At least one battery may furtherbe included for powering the temperature controller 1120 and the displayunits, preferably with the control unit indicating the state of the atleast one battery using the display. The control unit 1126 canoptionally includes memory for data storage and retrieval, with themicrocontroller operatively connected to the memory. The memory can beintegrated into the control unit 1126 or separate from the control unit1126. The memory can be, for example, flash memory or random-accessmemory. The control unit is powered by an energy source, such as thebatteries 1140.

A temperature field or preset temperature setpoint can be stored in thecontrol unit 1126, preferably in the memory, with which the temperaturejust measured at the temperature sensor 1129 is compared. If themeasured value is above the temperature setpoint, the pouch 1123 willinflate; if the measured value is below the temperature setpoint, theair outlet valve 1125 will be opened. If, on the other hand, themeasured value lies within the temperature setpoint, neither the aircompressor 1124 nor the air outlet valve 1125 is addressed. Thetemperature setpoint can advantageously be set such that it allows thetemperatures on the surface of the evaporator 1001 to fluctuate 1 degreeKelvin, between 5.5° C. and 6.5° C., for example. Preferably, thecontrol unit 1126 controls the state of inflation of the inflatablemember to regulate the evaporation temperature in the evaporator 1001 tomaintain the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 1129 at plusor minus 1 degree Kelvin of the preselected temperature. The interiortemperature of the insulated transport box within which the evaporator1001 is housed is then always within the required temperature range of+2 to +8° C.

The control unit 1126 is powered by the batteries 1140. The state ofcharge of the batteries can be displayed via the signal unit 1128 at thetime the sorption system 1000 is put into operation and/or during theoperating time. In particular, when starting the sorption process, theuser can check the state of charge and replace the batteries 1140, ifnecessary. The current interior temperature can also be displayed duringtransport by means of coded flashing. The signal unit 1128 may be alight that flashes or it may be a display screen.

Advantageously, the control unit 1126 can not only control the aircompressor 1124 and the air outlet valve 1125, but can also regulate theseparate heating circuit 1007. If the temperature at the temperaturesensor 1129 falls below a preset value, the electrical heating circuit1007 is activated and the interior of the transport box is heated. Thisis particularly useful if, with very cold outside temperatures, theinside temperature would also drop below the required lower temperaturelimit of, for example, +2° C.

Advantageously, the control unit 1126 can also store the values measuredby the temperature sensor 1129 during operation for later use. Anelectronic data memory integrated on the control unit 1126 can thenoutput the values when the transport history is evaluated.

The pressure in the pouch 1123 can advantageously also be releasedmanually. To this end, for example, the circuit to the air outlet valve1125 can be opened manually using a button 1134. This may be importantif, before the temperature controller 1120 is docked with a new sorptionsystem, there is still pressure in the line system 1132 from theprevious transport. Sufficient residual pressure may prevent thetemperature controller 1120 from being pushed over the protrudingplunger 1060.

The pressure sensor 1127 of the control unit 1126 measures the pressurein the air line system 1132. The pressure sensor 1127 makes it possibleto readjust the pressure in the inflatable pouch 1123 even with slightlyleaky lines or components. The air compressor 1124 then needs only runfor a few moments until the pressure is built up again. The pressuresensor 1127 can also be used to open and close the valve 1010 in smallerstep sequences. The valve 1010 can then function as a control valve andnot be limited to only the states of being completely open andcompletely closed. The operating times of the compressor 1124 and theoutlet valve 1125 can then be reduced considerably. This is particularlyvaluable if the temperature controller 1120 is intended for mobile useand the energy supply via batteries 1140 is limited.

The pressure sensor 1127 is preferably positioned to measure the airpressure in at least one of the pneumatic conduits and generate apressure signal, and the control unit's microcontroller is operativelyconnected to the pressure sensor and configured to read the pressuresignal of the pressure sensor, and when the air compressor 1124 isinflating the inflatable pouch 1123, if the pressure signal indicatesthe pressure in the at least one pneumatic conduit reaches a firststored pressure setpoint the microcontroller terminates inflation of theinflatable pouch by the air compressor, and when the air outlet valve isdeflating the inflatable pouch, if the pressure signal indicates apressure in the at least one pneumatic conduit reaches a second storedpressure setpoint the microcontroller terminates deflation of theinflatable pouch by the air outlet valve 1125.

Preferably, when the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 1129exceeds a stored temperature setpoint, the control unit 1126 causesinflation of the inflatable member to the first inflation state to openthe valve 1010, and when the temperature measured by the temperaturesensor is below the stored temperature setpoint, the control unit causesdeflation of the inflatable member to the second inflation state toclose the valve 1010.

As described in U.S. nonprovisional patent application Ser. No.16/888,483, one example of a thermal regulation system is a sorptionheat pump. The sorption heat pump is a device that moves heat from oneplace to another by vaporizing a working material, also known as aworking fluid, in one location (the evaporator) and sorbing the workingmaterial to a sorption material in a different location (the sorber).The evaporator and the sorber are connected by a vapor pathway. Theevaporation of the working fluid into a working fluid gas in theevaporator requires the input of heat energy, thereby cooling theevaporator. The sorption of the working material in the sorber releasesheat energy, thereby heating the sorber.

As further described in U.S. nonprovisional patent application Ser. No.16/888,483, one embodiment of the invention is a system capable ofmaintaining a regulated temperature or heat transfer rate using asorption heat pump system, and in some embodiments, a phase changematerial (PCM) buffer. In some embodiments, the sorption heat pumpsystem can have a valve to control the vapor flow in which the valve isindependent of temperature (for example, an on/off switch). In someembodiments, the sorption heat pump system can have a thermostat tocontrol vapor flow, in which the thermostat controls vapor flow inresponse to temperature.

As noted above, the sorption heat pump system 100 shown in FIG. 5 is adevice that moves heat from one place to another by vaporizing a workingmaterial in one location (an evaporator 120) and sorbing the workingmaterial to a sorption material in a different location (a sorber 110).The evaporator 120 and the sorber 110 are connected by a vapor pathway130. The evaporation of the working material in the evaporator 120requires the input of heat energy, thereby cooling the evaporator. Thesorption of the working material in the sorber 110 releases heat energy,thereby heating the sorber. There are many working material/sorber pairsknown. For example, an especially effective pair of materials is wateras the working material and zeolite as the sorption material. With thiswater/zeolite pair, cooling and heating rates in excess of 100 Watts canbe achieved by evacuating the air out of the sorption heat pump to apressure level of less than 10 mbar, for example. The water thenevaporates in the evaporator 120 at lower temperatures due to the lowerpressure and the sorber 110 sorbs the water vapor. The preciseevaporation temperature of the water in the evaporator 120 can becontrolled by controlling the pressure in the evaporator 120. Thepressure can be controlled by means of a thermal control unit 140 (e.g.,a valve or thermostat) between the evaporator 120 and the sorber 110which controls the rate of vapor flow between the evaporator and thesorber. Likewise, the temperature in the sorber can be controlled bycontrolling the rate of vapor flow into the sorber by means of thethermal control unit 140. In this way, the rate of heat transfer fromone side to another can be started, stopped and controlled. For example,the thermal control unit 140 can control the temperature of the sorberby a thermostat. For example, the thermal control unit 140 can controlthe temperature of the sorber in a manner that is independent oftemperature, such as with an on/off valve.

In some embodiments, the sorption heat pump system is reversible, or“chargeable.” This means that the working material can be desorbed fromthe sorption material, typically by heating the sorption material. Theheating of the sorption material can be accomplished in many ways, forexample, through the sorber being placed in an oven or toaster-likeappliance. Another type of heater is a built-in heating system thatheats the sorber 110 from the inside. The working material then desorbsfrom the sorption material and condenses in the evaporator, or in acompartment between the sorber and the evaporator. The sorption heatpump may then be used again. The sorption heat pump system can be“charged” and then stored with no energy input needed before being usedas a heat transfer system at a later time.

The sorption heat pump system can be composed of any number ofevaporator sections and sorber sections. In some embodiments, thesorption heat pump system 100 is composed of two sections: theevaporator 120 and the sorber 110. These two sections can be joined bythe vapor pathway 130 through which heat is transferred by a vapor. Thevapor pathway can have a thermal control unit 140 such as a valve orother vapor control mechanism that can be opened or closed variably toallow vapor to flow through or to slow or halt the flow of vapor. Whenthe valve is open, the vapor evaporates in the evaporator 120 and isadsorbed or absorbed in the sorber 110, thereby transferring heat fromthe evaporator section to the sorber section.

A phase change material, known as PCM, is a material that changes phaseat a specific temperature or temperature range. One example of a basicphase change material is water, which changes from a liquid to a solidat 0 degrees Celsius (“° C.”). Other types of phase change materialsexist that change phase at various temperatures, for example 5° C. or80° C. A key property of the PCM is that the material has a significantamount of latent heat at the phase change temperature. This means thatthe PCM can act as a thermal battery or buffer and release or absorbheat at its phase change temperature. The PCM can thereby serve as athermal buffer between two or more areas of different temperatures.

In some embodiments, the properties of the sorption heat pump system 100and a PCM buffer 150 are combined to create an integral, shelf-stablethermal regulation system that does not require any external energyinput during heating or cooling. The system can be used to maintain acompartment within a predetermined temperature range, even with varyingexternal temperatures, without any external inputs. FIGS. 18 to 21 showprototype temperature data from such a system. In FIGS. 18 to 21, thedesired payload compartment temperature is 2-8° C. In FIG. 18, thepayload compartment drops below 2° C. when the external ambient is below0° C. because the PCM buffer 150 is not in place. In FIG. 19, thepayload compartment does not drop below 4° C. even when the externalambient temperature is below 0° C. because the PCM buffer 150 and theevaporator 120 work together as a heat pipe to distribute the heatwithin a payload compartment 210 (for example, see compartment in FIG.6). In FIG. 20, the payload compartment 210 stays under 7° C. even whenthe external ambient is 35° C. In FIG. 21, the payload compartment 210stays between 2° C. and 8° C. at ambient temperature as low as −10° C.and as high as 31° C.

In some embodiments, such a system that combines a sorption heat pumpand phase change material can be used to keep a compartment or item coldor hot. For example, to keep something cold, the evaporator side of asorption heat pump system may reach −15° C. If the desire is to maintainthe cool side temperature at 5° C., a 5° C. PCM could be added to thesystem such that the PCM absorbs any excess energy between 5° C. and−15° C. from the evaporator.

The invention, in some embodiments, is a system that can regulatetemperature using the sorption heat pump 100 and the phase changematerial PCM buffer 150. The PCM buffer can be used in multiple ways.One option is to maintain the desired internal temperature of acompartment by absorbing and/or releasing energy from or into a heatpump. Another option is to maintain the desired internal compartmenttemperature by absorbing and/or releasing energy from or into theexterior environment.

In FIG. 6, the sorption heat pump system 100 and the phase changematerial PCM buffer 150 are integrated into a thermal regulation systemin a temperature-controlled container 200. FIG. 6 shows a system inwhich the payload compartment 210 is maintained at a temperature coolerthan the ambient outside temperature surrounding thetemperature-controlled container 200. The evaporator 120 and the phasechange material buffer 150 are both situated inside an insulation layer220. A preferred embodiment is where the phase change material buffer150 is positioned between the evaporator 120 and the inward payloadcompartment 210 wall. The sorber 110 is situated outside the insulationlayer 220. The phase change material PCM buffer 150 has a high specificenergy density (for example, it can be a material with a phasetransition at 5° C. with a thermal storage capacity of 200-250 J/g). Inthe preferred embodiments, the temperature-controlled container 200 maybe positioned inside an outer carton. In this case, the outer cartonshould be vented in the area near the sorber 110 to assist with heatrejection from the sorber to the environment.

Another embodiment of the invention, shown in FIG. 7, has the payloadcompartment 210 temperature kept at a temperature warmer than thesurrounding ambient temperature outside the temperature-controlledcontainer 200. This is possible by changing the orientation of theevaporator 120 and sorber 110. For the payload compartment 210 to bekept warm, the evaporator 120 is placed exterior of the insulation layer220 and the sorber 110 is situated interior of the insulation layer 220.This allows transfer of heat from outside the payload compartment 210 toinside the payload compartment 210. The phase change material PCM buffer150 stores a significant amount of energy at higher temperatures (forexample, an 80° C. phase change material with a thermal storage capacityof 220 J/g).

An additional embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 8. Thisembodiment comprises a temperature-controlled container 200 that coolsthe payload compartment 210 when the outside ambient temperature ishotter than the desired payload compartment temperature while alsoheating the payload compartment 210 when the outside ambient temperatureis lower than the desired payload compartment temperature range. Thiscan be achieved by the evaporator 120 and the phase change material PCMbuffer 150 both being placed interior of the insulation layer 220 whilethe sorber 110 is placed exterior of the insulation layer 220. In thecooling mode, the thermal control unit 140 of the sorption heat pumpsystem 100 is set to maintain a temperature range inside the payloadcompartment 210 by regulating the amount of vapor transferred (andtherefore the amount of cooling) from the evaporator 120 to the sorber110, for example by means of a thermostat. When the outside ambienttemperature drops below the desired payload compartment temperaturerange, the thermal control unit 140 stops the flow of vapor, therebyeffectively stopping the transfer of heat through vapor from the insideof the payload compartment 210 to the outside of the compartment. Thesystem then enters a passive heating mode. In passive heating mode, thephase change material PCM buffer 150 begins to freeze, which releasesits latent heat into the payload compartment 210. This latent heat thenmaintains the payload compartment temperature within the desired rangeuntil the PCM buffer is completely frozen. In very cold ambienttemperatures, the phase change material PCM buffer 150 can be replacedor augmented by a different heat source, such as a heat pipe heater 160.The heat pipe heater 160 is integrated with the evaporator 120 so that aheat pipe effect distributes heat from the heat pipe heater 160throughout the evaporator 120. For example, if the desired payloadcompartment temperature is 2-8° C. at ambient temperatures ranging from−10° C. to 35° C., the sorption heat pump system can be used to cool thecompartment to the desired range when the ambient temperature is above5° C. When the ambient temperature is below 5° C., for example, a 4° C.phase change material PCM buffer can be used to passively raise thepayload compartment temperature to the desired range of 2-8° C. untilthe PCM buffer is frozen. When the PCM buffer 150 is frozen, the thermalcontrol unit 140 activates the heat pipe heater 160, thereby heating thepayload compartment 210 through the heat pipe effect with the evaporator120. The phase change material can be used to stay above freezingtemperature in the compartment. In some embodiments, the heating andcooling modes can be reversed and/or repeated.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show an additional embodiment of the invention in crosssection. In these figures, the PCM buffer 150 is in thermal contact withthe sorber 110. The PCM buffer 150 absorbs heat from the sorber 110 inorder to regulate the temperature of the sorber 110 and protect the userfrom excess heat coming from the sorber 110. The evaporator 120 issituated inside the payload compartment 210 and cools the payloadcompartment 210. The vapor pathway 130 permits the flow of vapor fromthe evaporator 120 to the sorber 110. The thermal control unit 140regulates the flow of vapor from the evaporator 120 to the sorber 110 inorder to reach a temperature range inside the payload compartment 210.The payload compartment 210 and evaporator 120 are surrounded by acontainer 200, such as a vacuum insulated bottle. The amount andtemperature range of the PCM buffer 150 is calculated according to theevaporator size, amount of material to be cooled, and the heat leak ofthe insulation layer 220. FIG. 10 includes an additional component, asorber heating coil 118. The sorber heating coil 118 is used to heat thesorber 110 to recharge the sorption heat pump.

Some embodiments of the invention may be combined with a compressorsystem, or another variety of an existing system. The embodiment can bea battery free cooling and heating system for controlling temperature ofa portable unit, but there may be instances when combining the inventionwith a compressor-based system (which does require batteries orelectricity during use), could be desirable. For example, one may wantthe invention described as a backup system to a standardcompressor-based cooling system or another variant or type of system.

As noted above, the sorption heat pump system 100 contains the thermalcontrol unit 140, that allows for start stop (or on/off) systemfunction. This results in the system being able to be stored ready touse at a variety of ambient temperatures and the temperature regulationfunction can be started or stopped as desired by the user, or as set bya control mechanism. For example, the on/off function may be triggeredbased on time or thermal thresholds (such as internal or externaltemperature and/or pressure or a combination thereof). As an additionalexample, the system could be started after a set amount of time, forinstance as a backup system to provide cooling.

The temperature control system can be configured for use multiple timeson a single “charge” where one could have temperature regulationactivated for a period of time, then stop the temperature regulation fora period of time, then restart the temperature regulation again withoutneeding any external inputs such as electricity, batteries, ice, orother new phase change materials. This can be repeated any number oftimes.

The temperature control system can also be a single-use or‘irreversible’ control, such that once the unit is turned on, it muststay on for its full life and cannot be turned off (for example, throughmechanical, electronic, or digital means, or a combination thereof).This could be valuable in tamper-evident systems where a user may wantto be certain that the device has not been turned on previously.

The sorption heat pump system 100 can be non-separable from the walls ofthe temperature-controlled container 200.

The sorption heat pump system 100 can be separable from the walls of thetemperature-controlled container 200. A fully used sorption heat pumpsystem can be removed from the temperature-controlled container andreplaced with a “charged” sorption heat pump system.

The phase change material PCM buffer 150 can be integrated into theevaporator 120 to enable a “heat pipe” effect within the evaporator. Aheat pipe is a device, which moves heat via a continuous cycle ofevaporation and condensation. Heat evaporates a liquid and the resultingvapor condenses in cooler areas and gives off the heat. This cyclecontinuously moves heat from warmer to cooler areas quite quickly. Thisheat pipe effect helps to maintain similar temperatures throughout theevaporator, and therefore throughout the payload compartment 210. Thephase change material PCM buffer 150 can be integrated or adjacent to orotherwise thermally connected to the evaporator 120.

The sorption heat pump system 100 can use a specialized custom-designeddesiccant as the sorption material that achieves an energy density, forexample, of 150 Watthours per kilogram. However, the present inventioncan function with other varieties of desiccant including those not yetdeveloped.

The evaporator 120 of the sorption heat pump system 100 can be made intoa variety of geometric shapes. For example, the evaporator can beconfigured with any number of planar sides. The planar sides can besituated as to form an enclosed region. The evaporator can be connectedthermally to other parts of the surface area of the payload compartment210, for example, but not limited to, with copper, aluminum, heat pipes,and/or forced convection.

The sorber 110 of the sorption heat pump system 100 may be created usinga special hot-fill process. First, the sorption material is heated anddried externally. The temperature range reached during heating needs tobe optimized to achieve particular performance requirements withoutdamaging the sorption material or the sorber vacuum barrier material 102in FIG. 12. The sorber barrier material 102 used around the sorber 110can be for example, from the list including, but not limited to, amulti-layer foil containing an aluminum or metallized barrier, orstainless steel, glass and/or plastics.

The sorber 110 of the heat pump 100 may be made into a variety ofgeometric shapes. For example, the sorber could be of a shape from thelist including, but not limited to, cylindrical, spherical, andrectangular in a variety of dimensions. The sorber could be connectedthermally to a variety of other materials, such as plastics, phasechange material, metals, or gas.

Additional components of the system may be heated, degassed, and cleanedin special ways to achieve optimum performance.

The sorption heat pump 100 system can be rechargeable. The sorber 110can be heated using, for example, but not limited to, heating plates, awater bath, an oil bath, hot air, and/or heating rods. The heatingsource can be integrated inside the sorber or outside the sorber. Theevaporator side can be cooled during recharging using any coolingmethod, for example, but not limited to, natural convection, forcedconvection, a liquid bath, an air flow, cold plates, cold fingers,and/or cold sprays.

The thermal control unit 140 may be one or more of several types. Forexample, the thermal control unit 140 could be composed of a bistablevalve that restricts the flow of the working material. The thermalcontrol unit could be composed of an on\off valve. The thermal controlunit could include a check valve, or other varieties of valve, or evenvalves yet to be developed.

In some embodiments, the thermal control unit could also be sensitive totemperature, in this case described as a thermostat. Such a thermostatcould be one of several types, such as, but not limited to, a bimetal orcapillary component or a pressure regulator thermostat.

The payload compartment 210 may be insulated using any insulativematerial, such as, but not limited to, vacuum insulation panels (VIPs),cardboard, foam, plastic, fiberglass insulation, and/or vacuuminsulation.

The sorption heat pump system 100 could also be used outside of aninsulation in order to maintain a standard temperature (e.g., a coolingunit add-on that is placed in front of a fan for rapidtemperature-controlled air access at a set temperature).

The sorption heat pump system 100 could be under a vacuum. If under avacuum, that vacuum could be kept in a variety of ways, either throughan active pump or through evacuation and hermetic sealing to maintainthe vacuum over time.

The PCM buffer 150 can be physically incorporated into the sorption heatpump system 100 or the PCM buffer could be thermally connected to thesorption heat pump system or the PCM buffer could be separate from thesorption heat pump system and simply part of the same system in effect.

The sorption heat pump system 100 can be used to COOL or HEAT ormaintain at a given temperature range.

The evaporative material can be water, which is non-toxic, but is notlimited to water. The evaporative working material could also be, butnot limited to, ammonia and/or a refrigerant, and/or other materialswith an appropriate vapor pressure.

The desiccant can be zeolite, including a binder-free zeolite, but isnot limed to zeolites; the desiccant could also be, but not limited to,calcium chloride or silica or other materials that sorb the evaporativeworking material(s).

The PCM buffer 150 can be liquid or solid or gel, or other states ofmatter (such as, but not limited to, liquid crystal) or a combinationthereof. The PCM buffer can be molded around the evaporator 120, thesorber 110, and/or be placed around the edges of the payload compartment210.

The sorption heat pump system 100 may be configured for single-use orreusable. The PCM buffer 150 may be configured for single-use orreusable. The temperature-controlled container 200 may be configured forsingle-use or reusable.

FIG. 11 shows a schematic cross section of an embodiment of atwo-chamber temperature controlled container 500 with a sorption heatpump system configured to include two payload compartments 510 and 520at different temperatures. In this embodiment, the payload compartment510 is warmed by a sorber 540 and the payload compartment 520 is cooledby an evaporator 530. A warm PCM buffer 580 helps regulate thetemperature of the payload compartment 510 and a cool PCM buffer 570helps regulate the temperature of the payload compartment 520. Thepayload compartment 510 is heated while the payload compartment 520 iscooled at the same time. A vapor pathway 550 permits the flow of vaporfrom the evaporator 530 to the sorber 540 as controlled by a thermalcontrol unit 560. The payload compartment 510, the warm PCM buffer 580and the sorber 540 are surrounded by a warm insulation layer 590. Thepayload compartment 520, the cool PCM buffer 570 and the evaporator 530are surrounded by a cool insulation layer 570. Depending on thetemperature ranges desired in payload compartments 520 and 510, the PCMbuffers 570 and 580 may be individually or both removed. The sorptionheat pump system comprising the evaporator 530, sorber 540, vaporpathway 550 and thermal control unit 560 could be swapped in and out forrecharging outside of the two-chamber temperature controlled container500 or it may be charged in place.

FIG. 22 shows example thermal performance data from a prototype of thetwo-chamber temperature controlled container 500 of FIG. 11 with asorption heat pump system. In FIG. 22, “hot side” refers to the sorber540 and “cold side” refers to the evaporator 530. FIG. 22 shows apayload compartment 510 warmed to temperatures greater than 50° C. andpayload compartment 520 cooled to temperatures lower than 10° C. at anambient external temperature of 20° C.

A benefit of certain embodiments of the temperature-controlled container200 is the ability to have a device ready to use immediately forregulating temperature without the need for any refrigeration or heatingof a phase change material prior to use.

Another benefit of certain embodiments of this system is that it can belower weight than systems that only use phase change material, given thegreater energy density possible in the evaporative phase change processwithin the sorption heat pump system.

An additional benefit of certain embodiments of this system is beingable to not require an active heating or cooling system during usebecause the combination provides adequate thermal protection. This isparticularly true for cold weather protection (versus an active heatingsystem or simply good insulation).

Yet another benefit of certain embodiments of the temperature-controlledcontainer 200 is that the phase change material PCM buffer 150 does notneed to be frozen or refrigerated separately from the system, whichleads to easier logistics when in use. The entire system can sit at avariety of room temperatures, and once the sorption heat pump valve isopened, the desired system temperature will be reached. This is asignificant improvement from existing systems, many of which requireeither built-in heating or cooling powered by electric input from abattery or other means. In addition, many other systems require externalheating or cooling immediately prior to use, which adds significantlogistic constraints. Certain embodiments of this system remove both ofthe aforementioned logistics constraints, which are common in currentusage: (1) No external energy input is required during use to maintainthe desired temperature, and (2) No active heating or cooling systemsare required immediately prior to system use.

A further benefit of certain embodiments of the sorption heat pumpsystem 100 is the use of the thermal control unit 140 to control whenthe system is in operation. When the thermal control unit opens thevalve, the system is in active temperature regulation operation.However, the valve can be closed partway through operation and maintainthe remaining thermal power of the system. Then, when needed again, thevalve can be reopened, all without the need of any external energyinput. The switchable nature of the system is valuable in givingadditional flexibility for use.

A benefit of certain embodiments of the sorption heat pump system 100 isthat they can maintain a set temperature range when the ambienttemperature is both either hotter than desired or colder than desired.

The design of the sorption heat pump system 100 may be in asubstantially linear fashion, such as shown in FIG. 12. For the purposesof this embodiment, the sorber 110 section is on the left and theevaporator 120 section on the right, but they may be in differentconfigurations. The thermal control unit 140 is in the middle, though itmay be located elsewhere in other embodiments. The width of the sorber110 and the evaporator 120 may be equal to each other, or they may beunequal. The design may be encased in an external barrier material 102layer comprised of one or more materials which, depending on thematerials, may have different thermodynamic properties; in the case of abarrier of multiple materials they may differ, allowing the system tofocus heat pumping into certain areas while limiting the thermodynamicinteraction of others.

The thermal control unit 140 may be composed of tubes, pipes, or othermaterial, which allows a flow of vapor while supporting a vacuum areathrough which the vapor flows. This material may be a uniaxially rigidgrid material. The material may also be a biaxial or triaxial gridmaterial.

The thermal control unit 140 may be closed externally by pinching atube. The tube may be pinched closed by sliding a second componentbetween the tube and a third component. The tube of the thermal controlunit may be opened by pulling a tab. In some embodiments, the tube maybe closed by using a valve and/or plug. The tab may be a substantiallyrectangular component; however, the tab may take other shapes andconfigurations for other embodiments. In some embodiments, the tube maybe flexible while in others it may be inflexible, and utilizealternative methods of closing.

The valve 143 of the thermal control unit 140 may be designed as shownschematically in FIGS. 16A and 16B, or alternatively, as shownschematically in FIGS. 16C and 16D. In FIGS. 16A and 16B, an externalactuator 138 is positioned adjacent to the vapor pathway 130. FIG. 16Ashows the external actuator 138 in the opened position, which allowsvapor to flow through the vapor pathway 130. The actuator 138 is rotatedto close the vapor pathway 130 to vapor flow. FIG. 16B shows the valve143 in the closed position. The actuator 138 is designed to be openedand closed repeatedly, either by a user or by a controller. The externalactuator 138 is positioned outward of the vacuum barrier material 102.Other embodiments may involve a switch, button, or pulling mechanism toactuate the valve.

FIGS. 16C and 16D show a vapor pathway 130 composed of a flexible tubewherein lies an internal stopper 136 that is positionable to form abarrier within the vapor pathway 130. The internal stopper 136 ispositioned inward of the vacuum barrier material 102. The internalstopper 136 may be placed in the open or closed position via squeezingthe tube of the vapor pathway 130 in the appropriate place from theoutside. In FIG. 16C, the vapor pathway is shown opened, and in FIG.16D, the vapor pathway is shown closed. In other embodiments, the tubemay instead be rigid or only partially flexible and operated by a valveor other securing means.

In the evaporator section of the sorption heat pump system 100 shown inFIG. 12 by way of example, the location and amount of a sorbing orwicking material 122 should be optimized for optimal performance basedon the needs of the user and environment. The amount of this materialmay be more or less on the bottom of the evaporator 120 once placedinterior of the insulation layer 220. The amount of this material may bemore or less on the sides, or the top, of the evaporator 120 once placedin the insulation layer 220. In some embodiments, the material may onlypartially contact the sides of the temperature-controlled container 200(not shown in FIG. 12), while in others it will be flush or fullycontact.

The sorber 110 and evaporator 120 of the sorption heat pump system 100may be connected by one or more coupler(s) 144 (see FIG. 13) which maybe attached, welded, glued, or otherwise hermetically sealed to theexternal barrier material 102. This spout or coupler may then allowvapor flow through only a controlled cross section between theevaporator 120 and the sorber 110. An example of this coupler part isshown in FIG. 15.

The temperature-controlled container 200 may be an insulated box havingany number of sides cooled, including 2 sides and the top and bottom.The insulated box may include having the 4 sides cooled but not the topor bottom. In some embodiments all sides of the container may be cooledbased on the arrangement of the device; the device may function insidecontainers with a variety of shapes including a variety of cuboids,cylinders, prisms, or containers taking other shapes.

The sorption heat pump system 100 may be evacuated through one or moreevacuation ports 126, as shown in FIG. 12. The evacuation port 126 maybe composed of a grid material, which allows gas, and vapor flow throughit. The evacuation port 126 may be sealed by means of heat and/orpressure and/or adhesives and/or other sealing means.

The insulated layer 220, which substantially encloses the payloadcompartment 210, may be insulated with vacuum insulation panels (VIPs)222. Two examples of the arrangement of the VIPs 222 are shown in FIGS.17A and 17B. The VIPs 222 may be arranged such that interior access tothe payload compartment 210 is gained through a lid on top, or through adoor on a side. Some examples of the invention may incorporate openingsor doors that are incorporated into one of the sides or the lid/top;such variants may further incorporate seals to prevent insulationinefficiency.

The shape of the sorber 110 may be formed by a bag. The bag may be asimple 2-sided bag, or the bag may have more than 2 sides. The bag maybe shaped similar to a retort bag, or a gusseted bag. Some examples ofthe sorber 110 section may have a more rigid structure such as a bagthat is shaped such that it takes on a rounded-edge cubic shape, or itmay be of a rigid enough structure to hold an edged three-dimensionalshape.

The vacuum barrier material 102 and the design of the sorption heat pumpsystem 100 should be selected to allow the required functions whileminimizing the amount of heat transferred across the insulation layer220. This can be done by selecting thin materials with low thermalconductivity and by mechanical design which keeps the amount of materialcrossing the insulation layer 220 to a minimum. If desired for aspecific outcome, alternative variants may vary the thickness of theinsulation layer 220 on some or all of the sides to achieve results suchas fitting in a particular container more securely, or to direct theheat transfer. One such vacuum barrier material 102 is a multilayerlaminate material made from layers of differing materials where at leastone layer has low gas transfer rates, such as aluminum, and additionalmaterial layers, which add strength to the overall laminate and allowfor sealing the material together with low gas leak rates. One preferredembodiment of the vacuum barrier material 102 is a multilayer laminatewith an aluminum layer of at least seven micrometers thickness and asealing layer of polypropylene or polyamide with a melting temperaturegreater than 150 degrees Celsius. While metal or glass traditionallyhave the lowest gas transfer rates, any material that achieves a heliumleak rate of less than 10⁻⁴ millibar liters per second is suitable, evenif it does not contain metal or glass.

One embodiment of the invention is a shelf-stable temperature-controlledcontainer 200 that can provide a temperature-controlled spaceindependently on-demand without any external inputs (no pre-frozen ice,pre-conditioned PCM, or non-battery electricity must be used). This isaccomplished using an inventive thermal regulation system that maintainsthe temperature of the container within a set range for a period oftime. For example, the temperature-controlled container 200 maintains a12 liter internal volume of space at a temperature between 2-8° C. forat least 96 hours at an external ambient temperature of 30° C. Thethermal regulation system is a system that contains the sorption heatpump system 100, and in some embodiments, a phase change material PCMbuffer 150. The thermal regulation system also includes the thermalcontrol unit 140 to control the amount of cooling and/or heatingsupplied by the thermal regulation system, depending on the desiredinternal temperature and the heat load of the temperature-controlledcontainer 200. The thermal control unit 140 includes a valve to controlthe vapor flow inside the sorption heat pump.

Temperature-Controlled Container 200

The standard methods for cooling a portable container include usingcompressors, thermoelectric devices, or a phase change material such asice. These all have certain drawbacks: compressors and thermoelectricdevices require a near-constant supply of electricity, either via plugor relatively large batteries; compressors are relatively noisy;thermoelectric devices are effective only in limited temperatures rangesand are extremely inefficient; phase change materials require apre-conditioning process (i.e. freezing) before use and must be keptconstantly frozen to avoid melting.

One preferred embodiment of the present invention of thetemperature-controlled container 200 is a portable container that avoidsall of these drawbacks. The container is “pre-charged” and can then bestored at room temperature before use. When cooling is desired, thethermal control unit 140 is activated and cooling starts immediately,with no need for any external inputs, such as electricity or phasechange materials. The preferred embodiment is near-silent, does notrequire any electrical input or large batteries, is effective across avery wide range of temperatures, is relatively efficient, and does notrequire any pre-conditioning process immediately prior to use.

The temperature-controlled container 200 consists of several integratedsystems. First, the insulated space payload compartment 210 is cooledand/or heated to a set temperature range such as 2-8° C. The purpose ofthe insulation layer 220 is to limit the amount of heat moving in or outof the payload compartment 210. In this case, the vacuum insulatedpanels (VIPs) 222 are used as the insulation layer 220; however, theinsulation could be vacuum insulation (like vacuum bottles), expandedpolystyrene, expanded polypropylene, or other insulating foams ormaterials. Second, the insulation layer 220 formed by the VIP panels iscontained within an outer carton, which may be made of cardboard orplastic. Third, a thermal control unit 140 is used to move, generate, orabsorb heat depending on the relative difference between the outsidetemperature and the desired temperature of the payload compartment 210.

Thermal Regulation System

The thermal control system is comprised of several integrated systems.First, the sorption heat pump system 100 is used to provide activecooling when the outside temperature is warmer than the desired internaltemperature. Second, when the outside temperature is slightly below thedesired internal temperature, or below for a relatively shorter periodof time, the phase change material PCM buffer 150 containing the phasechange material (PCM) is used in concert with the sorption heat pumpsystem 100 to passively maintain the temperature of the payloadcompartment 210 within a desired specified range. Third, if the outsidetemperature is significantly lower than the desired internaltemperature, or lower for a longer period of time, then the phase changematerial capacity may be exhausted, in which case a heat pipe heater 160is used in concert with the sorption heat pump system 100 to maintainthe payload compartment 210 at a desired specific temperature. Fourth,the thermal control unit 140 senses the temperature of the payloadcompartment and regulates the amount of heating and cooling to maintainthe payload compartment at the desired specified temperature.

The sorption heat pump system 100 is a system composed of the evaporator120 and the sorber 110. The sorber 110 is placed outside of the payloadcompartment 210 and the evaporator 120 is placed inside the payloadcompartment 210. The sorber and evaporator are joined by the vaporpathway 130 through which heat is transferred by a vapor. The vaporpathway cross section is controlled by the thermal control unit 140,which can variably open and close a valve to allow the vapor to flowthrough or to slow or halt the flow of vapor. When the valve is open,the vapor evaporates in the evaporator 120 and is adsorbed or absorbedin the sorber 110, thereby transferring heat from the evaporator to thesorber.

Construction of the Sorption Heat Pump System 100

FIG. 12 shows the internal components of one embodiment of the sorptionheat pump 100. The sorption heat pump system 100 uses zeolite 112 as thesorption material in the sorber 110 and water as the working material.In the preferred embodiment, the sorption material is simply placedinward of the barrier material 102 in the sorber. In an additionalembodiment, the sorption material is contained inside a removablecartridge and the sorber has a cartridge receiver within which thecartridge is removably positionable. The sorption heat pump system 100is entirely enclosed in a multilayer foil barrier 102 made of anenvelope of barrier material with high gas barrier properties so that avacuum level of 1-10 millibar may be created and maintained inside thefoil barrier 102 envelope made of the barrier material. The zeolite 112is enclosed in the sorber 110. A conduit comprises the vapor pathway 130extending between the sorber 110 and the evaporator 120 to allow theflow of water vapor from the evaporator 120 to the sorber 110. Insidethe evaporator are several layers of different materials. The wickingmaterial 122 is used to hold and distribute the liquid water around theentire evaporator. A semi-rigid channel material 124 is used to createchannels between the wicking material 122 and the foil barrier 102through which the water vapor can flow freely. When heat is applied tothe surface of the evaporator, the liquid water evaporates. Theresultant water vapor flows towards the sorber 110 through the channelmaterial 124, eventually flowing through the water vapor pathway 130into the sorber 110 where the water binds with the zeolite 112. Thewater vapor moves heat from the evaporator 120 to the sorber 110. Thezeolite 112 effectively removes the water vapor from the enclosedenvironment, which allows more liquid water to evaporate in theevaporator and continue the cooling process. In FIG. 12, the sorber 110,the evaporator 120, the vapor channel 130 and the thermal control unit140 are all inward of the vacuum barrier material 102. The evaporator120, the sorber 110, the vapor channel 130 and the thermal control unit140 may be substantially enclosed in separate vacuum barrier materials.The thermal control unit 140 may be partially inward and partiallyoutward of the vacuum barrier material 102. The thermal control unit 140may in some embodiments be fully outward of the vacuum barrier material102.

The cross-sectional size of the vapor pathway 130 depends on the desiredamount of heat transferred by the heat pump. A cross-sectional vaporpathway 130 size between 0.01 and 10 square centimeters will achieveheat transfer rates between 0.1 watts and 200 watts. A preferredembodiment has a cross-sectional vapor pathway size between 0.1 and 5square centimeters. The shape of the cross section of the vapor pathway130 may also minimize excess heat transfer. A preferred embodiment has avapor pathway 130 maximum size in one dimension between 0.01 and 2centimeters.

In the embodiment wherein the sorption material is zeolite and theworking fluid is water, the ratio of zeolite to water impacts thecorrect functioning of the sorption heat pump 100. A ratio between 100and 500 grams of water per kilogram of desorbed zeolite is desirable,and a ratio of 150-350 grams of water per kilogram of desorbed zeoliteis preferred for improved heat transfer and overall system mass. Thesize and shape of the zeolite 112 also impact improved vapor flow withinthe sorber 110. A zeolite granule diameter between 0.5 and 12millimeters is desirable, while a diameter between 2.5 and 5.0millimeters is preferred.

Phase Change Material PCM Buffer 150

In some embodiments, the properties of the sorption heat pump 100 andthe PCM buffer 150 are combined to create an integrated system that canboth cool and heat the payload compartment 210. The cooling is providedby the sorption heat pump system 100 as described above. The heating isprovided by the PCM buffer 150. This is accomplished by placing a layerof the PCM buffer 150 in thermal contact with the evaporator 120 of thesorption heat pump system between the insulation layer 220 and theevaporator 120. The layer of the PCM buffer 150 is enclosed in anevacuated foil barrier material 102 envelope with high gas barrierproperties.

When the outside temperature is lower than the desired insidetemperature, heat flows out of the payload compartment 210. Normally thepayload compartment temperature would then decrease. The layer of thePCM buffer 150 acting in concert with the heat pump evaporator 120arrests and slows this temperature decrease. The heat outflow causes thetemperature of the PCM buffer 150 to decrease until the phase changetemperature is reached. The PCM then releases latent heat as it changesphase (freezes), thereby arresting and slowing the temperature decreasein the payload compartment 210 for a period of time. The thermal controlunit 140 stops the flow of vapor from the evaporator 120 to the sorber110 when cooling is not desired. The heat pump evaporator 120 then actsin concert with the layer of the PCM buffer 150 as a heat pipe todistribute the PCM latent heat around the payload compartment 210.Otherwise, areas of the payload compartment away from the PCM bufferlayer would still continue to fall in temperature. Once the PCM haschanged phase completely, the temperature of the payload compartmentcontinues to fall.

In FIG. 6, the sorption heat pump system 100 and the phase changematerial PCM buffer 150 components are combined with the phase changematerial acting as a thermal buffer. FIG. 6 shows a system in which theinternal payload compartment 210 is maintained at a temperature coolerthan the ambient temperature surrounding the compartment. The evaporator120 and the phase change material PCM buffer 150 are both situatedinside the payload compartment 210 in thermal contact with each other.The sorber 110 is situated outside the payload compartment 210. Thephase change material has a high specific energy density (for example,it can be a material with a phase transition at 5 degrees Celsius with athermal storage capacity of 200-250 J/g).

Active Heating Unit

For most use scenarios, where the outside temperatures stay between −10°C. and 35° C., the sorption heat pump system 100 using the PCM buffer150 is sufficient. For example, the industry standard ISTA 7D wintertest profile can be achieved. In some scenarios, the outside temperaturemay get colder than −10° C. or stay colder longer than the ISTA 7Dwinter temperature profile. In that case, an additional heat source isneeded. FIG. 8 shows the addition of the heat source in the form of aheat pipe heater 160 in thermal contact with the heat pump evaporator120. The heat pipe heater 160 heat source may be an electrical resistiveheat source, or a chemical heat source, or a thermoelectric heat source.When the layer of the PCM buffer 150 is completely frozen, the thermalcontrol unit 140 turns on the pipe heater to provide additional heat.This additional heat is transported around the payload compartment 210by the heat pump evaporator 120 acting as a heat pipe.

Thermal Control Unit 140

The thermal control unit 140 monitors the temperature of the payloadcompartment 210, compares it to a desired temperature, and adjusts thecooling and heating rates to reach and maintain the desired temperature.The thermal control unit 140 includes a device to control the rate offlow of water vapor from the evaporator 120 to the sorber 110 in thesorption heat pump system 100. Two examples of this vapor flow ratecontrol are shown in FIGS. 13 and 14. In FIG. 13, a valve 143 is openedand closed by the user or a controller to start and stop the movement ofvapor through the vapor pathway 130. The valve 143 may be inward oroutward of the vacuum barrier material 102 shown in FIG. 12. The rate ofmovement of the vapor, and therefore the temperature, is controlled by amechanical thermostat 141 attached to the vapor pathway 130. Inside themechanical thermostat 141 is a coil of bimetal 142, which changes shapein response to temperature changes and opens or closes an orifice in thevapor pathway 130. The mechanical thermostat 141 is in thermal contactwith the evaporator 120. The bimetal 142 is situated such that it closesthe vapor pathway 130 when the payload compartment 210 temperature isbelow the desired setpoint, and opens the vapor pathway 130 when thetemperature of the payload compartment 210 is above the desiredsetpoint. The vapor pathway 130 is sealed to the material of the barrier102 by the coupler 144. At the end of the vapor pathway 130 opposite tothe mechanical thermostat 141 is a sorber channel 145. The sorberchannel 145 distributes the vapor to the zeolite 112 inside the sorber110.

FIG. 14 shows a schematic diagram for a second example of the thermalcontrol unit 140. A controller 146 measures the temperature inside thepayload compartment 210 via a temperature sensor 149. The controller 146signals a gearmotor 147 to open or close a valve 148 in response to thetemperature sensor 149. The valve 148 is situated to open or close(partially or fully) the vapor pathway 130.

FIGS. 23A and 23B show cross sections of an example valve 148. FIG. 23Ashows the valve 148 in the opened position and FIG. 23B shows the valve148 in the closed position. The vapor pathway 130 is enclosed by barriermaterial 102. A seal barrier material 132 is sealed at each end toopposite inward sides of the barrier material 102, which completes theinternal seal across the vapor pathway 130 when the valve 148 is closed.On one side of the seal barrier 132 is a stabilization plate 134 and onthe other side is a seal gasket 135. In the preferred embodiment, a sealpin 133 is normally sealed closed against the seal gasket 135 byatmospheric pressure. In an additional embodiment, the seal pin is inthe normally open position and movable to the closed position. The sealpin 133 is movable by a user or by an actuator, such as the gearmotor147. When the seal pin 133 is in the open position, vapor flows throughthe vapor pathway 130. The seal pin 133 is opened and closed partiallyor fully to allow a specific vapor flow rate through the vapor pathway130 to maintain the temperature in the payload compartment 210 within aspecified range.

The thermal control unit 140 does not interact with the layer of the PCMbuffer 150, which passively impacts the temperature as described above.The thermal control unit 140 turns the heat pipe heater 160, on and offas needed to reach the desired temperature of the payload compartment210.

Method of Reuse of Thermal Regulation System

Some sorption heat pumps are reversible, reconditionable, or“chargeable.” This means that the working material can be desorbed fromthe sorption material, typically by means of pressure and temperature.In some embodiments of the invention, the means of reversing thesorption heat pump system 100 are not built into the sorption heat pumpsystem itself, because this would add additional expense, weight, andspace to the product. Instead, a method of reversing, reconditioning, orrecharging, the sorption heat pump system in a controlled “recharging”facility, is provided.

After use, the thermal regulation system or sorption heat pump system isreturned to a charging facility. The sorption material in the sorber 110and the working material in the evaporator 120 are removed from thebarrier material 102. The sorption material is processed, orreconditioned, or desorbed to prepare the material for another use. Thedesorbed sorption material and the working material are then replacedinto a new barrier material envelope. The sorption heat pump system 100is then ready for another use.

Embodiments of the present disclosure can be described in view of thefollowing clauses:

-   -   1. A sorption heat pump, comprising:    -   an evaporator structured to contain a working fluid, and        operable to evaporate the working fluid to produce a working        fluid gas in the evaporator;    -   a sorber structured to contain a sorption material to sorb the        working fluid gas during a sorption phase;    -   a vapor pathway connecting the evaporator and the sorber; and    -   a thermal control unit positioned to control the rate of vapor        flow between the evaporator and the sorber through the vapor        pathway, and being selectively operable to permit the flow of        working fluid gas through the vapor pathway, to next stop the        flow of working fluid gas through the vapor pathway, and after        stopping the flow to then permit resumption of the flow of        working fluid gas through the vapor pathway.    -   2. The sorption heat pump of clause 1, further including a        vacuum barrier material positioned about the sorber and the        evaporator to provide a reduced pressure therewithin to promote        evaporation of the working fluid at a reduced temperature        compared to the temperature required at ambient pressure.    -   3. The sorption heat pump of clause 2, wherein the vacuum        barrier material is a multilayer laminate material.    -   4. The sorption heat pump of clause 2 or 3, wherein the vacuum        barrier material is also positioned about the vapor pathway.    -   5. The sorption heat pump of clause 4, wherein the vacuum        barrier material is a multilayer laminate material.    -   6. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 2-5, wherein the        thermal control unit is positioned inward of the vacuum barrier        material.    -   7. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 2-6, wherein the        thermal control unit is positioned outward of the vacuum barrier        material.    -   8. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 2-7, wherein the        thermal control unit is positioned partially inward of vacuum        barrier material and partially outward of the vacuum barrier        material.    -   9. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 2-8, wherein the        sorption material is zeolite, the working fluid is water, and        the reduced pressure is equal to or less than 10 mbar absolute        pressure.    -   10. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 2-9, wherein the        vacuum barrier material is a multilayer laminate material with        an aluminum layer of at least seven micrometers thickness and a        sealing layer of polypropylene or polyamide with a melting        temperature greater than 150 degrees Celsius.    -   11. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 1-10, further        including a vacuum barrier material positioned about the sorber,        evaporator, and vapor pathway to provide a reduced pressure        therewithin to promote evaporation of the working fluid at a        reduced temperature compared to the temperature required at        ambient pressure, the vacuum barrier material being a multilayer        laminate material and including first, second, and third        multilayer laminate material portions, and the thermal control        unit includes a vapor control valve made from the first, second,        and third multilayer laminate material portions, a seal gasket,        and a seal pin operable to control the rate of vapor flow        between the evaporator and the sorber through the vapor pathway,        the third multilayer laminate material portion having a first        end portion and a second end portion, the first end portion        being in sealed engagement with the first multilayer laminate        material portion and the second end portion being in sealed        engagement with the second multilayer laminate material portion        to define an internal barrier, the third multilayer laminate        material portion being positioned with the seal gasket to create        a stable sealing surface, the seal pin protruding through the        third multilayer laminate material portion, but not through the        first multilayer laminate material portion or through the second        multilayer laminate material portion, the seal pin being located        proximal to the seal gasket, and the seal pin being movable        toward the sealing surface by atmospheric pressure.    -   12. The sorption heat pump of clause 11, wherein the thermal        control unit further includes a gearmotor positioned outward of        the first and second multilayer laminate material portions and        proximal to the seal pin, the gearmotor being operable to move        the seal pin to at least one of at least partially opening the        vapor control valve and at least partially closing the vapor        control valve.    -   13. The sorption heat pump of clause 12, wherein the gearmotor        is operable to move the seal pin by pushing on the seal pin and        deforming the vacuum barrier material, and closing the vapor        control valve by not pushing on the seal pin.    -   14. The sorption heat pump of clause 12 or 13, wherein the        gearmotor is controlled by a controller.    -   15. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 1-14, further        including a first vacuum barrier positioned about the sorber, a        second vacuum barrier positioned about the evaporator, and a        third vacuum barrier positioned about the vapor pathway, to        provide a reduced pressure therewithin to promote evaporation of        the working fluid at a reduced temperature compared to the        temperature required at ambient pressure, the first, second, and        third vacuum barriers being multilayer laminate materials, and        the thermal control unit includes a vapor control valve made        from the first, second, and third vacuum barriers, a seal        gasket, and a seal pin operable to control the rate of vapor        flow between the evaporator and the sorber through the vapor        pathway, the third vacuum barrier having a first end portion and        a second end portion, the first end portion being in sealed        engagement with the first vacuum barrier and the second end        portion being in sealed engagement with the second vacuum        barrier to define an internal barrier, the third vacuum barrier        being positioned with the seal gasket to create a stable sealing        surface, the seal pin protruding through the third vacuum        barrier, but not through the first vacuum barrier or through the        second vacuum barrier, the seal pin being located proximal to        the seal gasket, and the seal pin being movable toward the        sealing surface by atmospheric pressure.    -   16. The sorption heat pump of clause 15, wherein the thermal        control unit further includes a gearmotor positioned outward of        the first and second vacuum barriers and proximal to the seal        pin, the gearmotor being operable to move the seal pin to at        least one of at least partially opening the vapor control valve        and at least partially closing the vapor control valve.    -   17. The sorption heat pump of clause 16, wherein the gearmotor        is operable to move the seal pin by pushing on the seal pin and        deforming at least one of the first, second, and third vacuum        barriers, and closing the vapor control valve by not pushing on        the seal pin.    -   18. The sorption heat pump of clause 16 or 17, wherein the        gearmotor is controlled by a controller.    -   19. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 1-18, further        including a phase change material buffer positioned in thermal        contact with the evaporator to create a heat pipe effect to        distribute heat within the evaporator.    -   20. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 1-19, wherein the        vapor pathway has a cross sectional size between 0.01 and 10.0        square centimeters.    -   21. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 1-20, wherein the        vapor pathway has a cross sectional size between 0.1 and 5.0        square centimeters.    -   22. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 1-21, wherein the        vapor pathway has a maximum size in one dimension of between        0.01 and 2.0 centimeters.    -   23. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 1-22, wherein the        sorption material is zeolite, the working fluid is water, and        the ratio of water to zeolite is 100-500 grams of water per        kilogram of dry zeolite.    -   24. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 1-23, wherein the        sorption material is zeolite, the working fluid is water, and        the ratio of water to zeolite is 150-350 grams of water per        kilogram of dry zeolite.    -   25. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 1-24, wherein the        sorption material is zeolite, and the size of the zeolite        granules is between 0.5 and 12.0 millimeters in diameter.    -   26. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 1-25, wherein the        sorption material is zeolite, and the size of the zeolite        granules is between 1.5 and 8.0 millimeters in diameter.    -   27. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 1-26, wherein the        sorption material is zeolite, and the size of the zeolite        granules is between 2.5 and 3.5 millimeters in diameter.    -   28. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 1-27, further        including a heater in thermal contact with the sorber to desorb        the working fluid from the sorption material to produce the        working fluid gas.    -   29. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 1-28, wherein the        sorber removably retains the sorption material therein and is        structured to permit removal of sorbed sorption material and        replacement with desorbed sorption material.    -   30. The sorption heat pump of clause 29, wherein the sorption        material is contained inside a removable cartridge and the        sorber has a cartridge receiver within which the cartridge is        removably positionable, the cartridge retaining the sorption        material therein as the sorber sorbs the working fluid gas        during the sorption phase.    -   31. A sorption heat pump, comprising:    -   an evaporator containing a working fluid, and operable to        evaporate the working fluid to produce a working fluid gas in        the evaporator;

a sorber containing a sorption material to sorb the working fluid gasduring a sorption phase;

-   -   a vapor pathway connecting the evaporator and the sorber; and    -   a thermal control unit positioned to control the rate of vapor        flow between the evaporator and the sorber through the vapor        pathway, and being selectively operable to permit the flow of        working fluid gas through the vapor pathway, to next stop the        flow of working fluid gas through the vapor pathway, and after        stopping the flow to then permit resumption of the flow of        working fluid gas through the vapor pathway.    -   32. A temperature controlled container for maintaining the        temperature of a temperature sensitive material, comprising:    -   a sorption heat pump, comprising:        -   an evaporator structured to contain a working fluid, and            operable to evaporate the working fluid to produce a working            fluid gas in the evaporator;        -   a sorber structured to contain a sorption material to sorb            the working fluid gas during a sorption phase;        -   a vapor pathway connecting the evaporator and the sorber;            and        -   a thermal control unit positioned to control the rate of            vapor flow between the evaporator and the sorber through the            vapor pathway, and being selectively operable to permit the            flow of working fluid gas through the vapor pathway, to next            stop the flow of working fluid gas through the vapor            pathway, and after stopping the flow to then permit            resumption of the flow of working fluid gas through the            vapor pathway; and    -   a compartment structured to store the temperature sensitive        material, the evaporator being positioned inside the compartment        and the sorber being positioned outside the compartment.    -   33. The temperature controlled container of clause 32, further        including a phase change material buffer positioned inside the        compartment in thermal contact with the evaporator to create a        heat pipe effect to distribute heat within the evaporator.    -   34. The temperature controlled container of clause 33, wherein        the compartment includes a compartment wall and the phase change        material buffer between the evaporator and the compartment wall.    -   35. The temperature controlled container of clause 33 or 34,        further including a heater in thermal contact with the        evaporator, the heater being inside the compartment.    -   36. The temperature controlled container of any of clauses        32-35, further including a heater in thermal contact with the        evaporator, the heater being inside the compartment.    -   37. The temperature controlled container of any of clauses        32-36, further including an insulation layer positioned about        the compartment, the sorber being positioned outward of the        insulation layer.    -   38. The temperature controlled container of clause 37, further        including a phase change material buffer positioned inside the        compartment in thermal contact with the evaporator to create a        heat pipe effect to distribute heat within the evaporator.    -   39. The temperature controlled container of clause 38, further        including a heater in thermal contact with the evaporator, the        heater being inside the compartment.    -   40. The temperature controlled container of any of clauses        37-39, further including a heater in thermal contact with the        evaporator, the heater being inside the compartment.    -   41. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 32-40, further        including a heater in thermal contact with the sorber to desorb        the working fluid from the sorption material to produce the        working fluid gas.    -   42. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 32-41, further        including a phase change material buffer in thermal contact with        the sorber outside the compartment.    -   43. The temperature controlled container of any of clauses        32-42, wherein the sorber removably retains the sorption        material therein and is structured to permit removal of sorbed        sorption material and replacement with desorbed sorption        material.    -   44. The temperature controlled container of clause 43, wherein        the sorption material is contained inside a removable cartridge        and the sorber has a cartridge receiver within which the        cartridge is removably positionable, the cartridge retaining the        sorption material therein as the sorber sorbs the working fluid        gas during the sorption phase.    -   45. A temperature controlled container for maintaining the        temperature of a temperature sensitive material, comprising:    -   a sorption heat pump, comprising:        -   an evaporator containing a working fluid, and operable to            evaporate the working fluid to produce a working fluid gas            in the evaporator;        -   a sorber containing a sorption material to sorb the working            fluid gas during a sorption phase;        -   a vapor pathway connecting the evaporator and the sorber;            and        -   a thermal control unit positioned to control the rate of            vapor flow between the evaporator and the sorber through the            vapor pathway, and being selectively operable to permit the            flow of working fluid gas through the vapor pathway, to next            stop the flow of working fluid gas through the vapor            pathway, and after stopping the flow to then permit            resumption of the flow of working fluid gas through the            vapor pathway; and    -   a compartment structured to store the temperature sensitive        material, the evaporator being positioned inside the compartment        and the sorber being positioned outside the compartment.    -   46. A temperature controlled container for maintaining the        temperature of a temperature sensitive material, comprising:    -   a sorption heat pump, comprising:        -   an evaporator structured to contain a working fluid, and            operable to evaporate the working fluid to produce a working            fluid gas in the evaporator;        -   a sorber structured to contain a sorption material to sorb            the working fluid gas during a sorption phase;        -   a vapor pathway connecting the evaporator and the sorber;            and        -   a thermal control unit positioned to control the rate of            vapor flow between the evaporator and the sorber through the            vapor pathway, and being selectively operable to permit the            flow of working fluid gas through the vapor pathway, to next            stop the flow of working fluid gas through the vapor            pathway, and after stopping the flow to then permit            resumption of the flow of working fluid gas through the            vapor pathway; and    -   a compartment structured to store the temperature sensitive        material, the sorber being positioned inside the compartment and        the evaporator being positioned outside the compartment.    -   47. The temperature controlled container of clause 46, further        including a phase change material buffer positioned inside the        compartment in thermal contact with the sorber to regulate the        temperature of the compartment.    -   48. The sorption heat pump of clause 46 or 47, further including        a heater in thermal contact with the sorber to desorb the        working fluid from the sorption material to produce the working        fluid gas.    -   49. The temperature controlled container of any of clauses        46-48, further including an insulation layer positioned about        the compartment, the evaporator being positioned outward of the        insulation layer.    -   50. The temperature controlled container of clause 49, further        including a phase change material buffer positioned inside the        compartment in thermal contact with the sorber to regulate the        temperature of the compartment.    -   51. The temperature controlled container of any of clauses        46-50, wherein the sorber removably retains the sorption        material therein and is structured to permit removal of sorbed        sorption material and replacement with desorbed sorption        material.    -   52. The temperature controlled container of clause 51, wherein        the sorption material is contained inside a removable cartridge        and the sorber has a cartridge receiver within which the        cartridge is removably positionable, the cartridge retaining the        sorption material therein as the sorber sorbs the working fluid        gas during the sorption phase.    -   53. A temperature controlled container for maintaining the        temperature of a temperature sensitive material, comprising:    -   a sorption heat pump, comprising:        -   an evaporator containing a working fluid, and operable to            evaporate the working fluid to produce a working fluid gas            in the evaporator;        -   a sorber containing a sorption material to sorb the working            fluid gas during a sorption phase;        -   a vapor pathway connecting the evaporator and the sorber;            and        -   a thermal control unit positioned to control the rate of            vapor flow between the evaporator and the sorber through the            vapor pathway, and being selectively operable to permit the            flow of working fluid gas through the vapor pathway, to next            stop the flow of working fluid gas through the vapor            pathway, and after stopping the flow to then permit            resumption of the flow of working fluid gas through the            vapor pathway; and    -   a compartment structured to store the temperature sensitive        material, the sorber being positioned inside the compartment and        the evaporator being positioned outside the compartment.    -   54. A temperature controlled apparatus, comprising:    -   a sorption heat pump, comprising:        -   an evaporator structured to contain a working fluid, and            operable to evaporate the working fluid to produce a working            fluid gas in the evaporator;        -   a sorber structured to contain a sorption material to sorb            the working fluid gas during a sorption phase;        -   a vapor pathway connecting the evaporator and the sorber;            and        -   a thermal control unit positioned to control the rate of            vapor flow between the evaporator and the sorber through the            vapor pathway, and being selectively operable to permit the            flow of working fluid gas through the vapor pathway, to next            stop the flow of working fluid gas through the vapor            pathway, and after stopping the flow to then permit            resumption of the flow of working fluid gas through the            vapor pathway;    -   a cool compartment, the evaporator being positioned inside the        cool compartment;    -   a warm compartment, the sorber being positioned inside the warm        compartment;    -   a cool compartment insulation layer positioned about the cool        compartment and the evaporator, the warm compartment and the        sorber being positioned outward of the cool compartment        insulation layer; and    -   a warm compartment insulation layer positioned about the warm        compartment and the sorber, the cool compartment and the        evaporator being positioned outward of the warm compartment        insulation layer.    -   55. The temperature controlled unit of clause 54, further        including a phase change material buffer positioned in thermal        contact with the evaporator.    -   56. The temperature controlled unit of clause 54 or 55, further        including a sorber phase change material buffer positioned in        thermal contact with the sorber.    -   57. The temperature controlled unit of clause 56, further        including an evaporator phase change material buffer positioned        in thermal contact with the evaporator.    -   58. The temperature controlled unit of any of clauses 54-57,        further including a heater in thermal contact with the sorber to        desorb the working fluid from the sorption material to produce        the working fluid gas.    -   59. The temperature controlled unit of any of clauses 54-58,        wherein the sorber removably retains the sorption material        therein and is structured to permit removal of sorbed sorption        material and replacement with desorbed sorption material.    -   60. The temperature controlled unit of clause 59, wherein the        sorption material is contained inside a removable cartridge and        the sorber has a cartridge receiver within which the cartridge        is removably positionable, the cartridge retaining the sorption        material therein as the sorber sorbs the working fluid gas        during the sorption phase.    -   61. A temperature controlled apparatus, comprising:    -   a sorption heat pump, comprising:        -   an evaporator containing a working fluid, and operable to            evaporate the working fluid to produce a working fluid gas            in the evaporator;        -   a sorber containing a sorption material to sorb the working            fluid gas during a sorption phase;        -   a vapor pathway connecting the evaporator and the sorber;            and        -   a thermal control unit positioned to control the rate of            vapor flow between the evaporator and the sorber through the            vapor pathway, and being selectively operable to permit the            flow of working fluid gas through the vapor pathway, to next            stop the flow of working fluid gas through the vapor            pathway, and after stopping the flow to then permit            resumption of the flow of working fluid gas through the            vapor pathway;    -   a cool compartment, the evaporator being positioned inside the        cool compartment;    -   a warm compartment, the sorber being positioned inside the warm        compartment;    -   a cool compartment insulation layer positioned about the cool        compartment and the evaporator, the warm compartment and the        sorber being positioned outward of the cool compartment        insulation layer; and    -   a warm compartment insulation layer positioned about the warm        compartment and the sorber, the cool compartment and the        evaporator being positioned outward of the warm compartment        insulation layer.    -   62. A method for reusing a sorption heat pump having an        evaporator containing a working fluid, the working fluid        evaporating to a working fluid gas in the evaporator, sorber        containing a sorption material to sorb the working fluid gas        during a sorption phase, a vapor pathway connecting the        evaporator and the sorber, and a thermal control unit positioned        to control the rate of vapor flow between the evaporator and the        sorber through the vapor pathway comprising:    -   providing the sorption heat pump to a user;    -   after the user has operated the sorption heat pump to at least        partially sorb the sorption material in the sorber, receiving        back the sorption heat pump;    -   reconditioning the sorption heat pump; and    -   providing the reconditioned sorption heat pump to the user or        another user.    -   63. The method of clause 62 where the sorption material is        removable from the sorber, wherein the step of reconditioning        the sorption heat pump is accomplished by removal of the at        least partially sorbed sorption material from the sorber, and        then placing at least substantially desorbed sorption material        in the sorber.    -   64. The method of clause 62 or 63 where the sorption material is        contained inside a removable cartridge and the sorber has a        cartridge receiver within which the cartridge is removably        positionable, the cartridge retaining the sorption material        therein as the sorber sorbs the working fluid gas during the        sorption phase, wherein the step of reconditioning the sorption        material is accomplished by removal of the cartridge with the at        least partially sorbed sorption material from the cartridge        receiver, and then positioning a cartridge with at least        substantially desorbed sorption material in the cartridge        receiver.    -   65. A method for reusing a temperature controlled container        having a sorption heat pump and a compartment for storing a        temperature sensitive material, the sorption heat pump having an        evaporator containing a working fluid, the working fluid        evaporating to a working fluid gas in the evaporator, a sorber        containing a sorption material to sorb the working fluid gas        during a sorption phase, a vapor pathway connecting the        evaporator and the sorber, and a thermal control unit positioned        to control the rate of vapor flow between the evaporator and the        sorber through the vapor pathway, comprising:    -   providing the temperature controlled container to a user ready        for use by the user;    -   after the user has operated the sorption heat pump to at least        partially sorb the sorption material in the sorber, receiving        back the temperature-controlled container with the at least        partially sorbed sorption material;    -   reconditioning the sorption heat pump; and    -   providing the temperature controlled container with the        reconditioned sorption heat pump to the user or another user.    -   66. The method of clause 65 where the sorption material is        removable from the sorber, wherein the step of reconditioning        the sorption heat pump is accomplished by removal of the at        least partially sorbed sorption material from the sorber, and        then placing at least substantially desorbed sorption material        in the sorber.    -   67. The method of clause 65 or 66 where the sorption material is        contained inside a removable cartridge and the sorber has a        cartridge receiver within which the cartridge is removably        positionable, the cartridge retaining the sorption material        therein as the sorber sorbs the working fluid gas during the        sorption phase, wherein the step of recharging the sorption        material is accomplished by removal of the cartridge with the at        least partially sorbed sorption material from the cartridge        receiver, and then positioning a cartridge with at least        substantially desorbed sorption material in the cartridge        receiver.

The foregoing described embodiments depict different componentscontained within, or connected with, different other components. It isto be understood that such depicted architectures are merely exemplary,and that in fact many other architectures can be implemented whichachieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangementof components to achieve the same functionality is effectively“associated” such that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, anytwo components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality canbe seen as “associated with” each other such that the desiredfunctionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermedialcomponents. Likewise, any two components so associated can also beviewed as being “operably connected,” or “operably coupled,” to eachother to achieve the desired functionality.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shownand described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that,based upon the teachings herein, changes and modifications may be madewithout departing from this invention and its broader aspects and,therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope allsuch changes and modifications as are within the true spirit and scopeof this invention. Furthermore, it is to be understood that theinvention is solely defined by the appended claims. It will beunderstood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein,and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appendedclaims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term“including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” theterm “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term“includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,”etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if aspecific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such anintent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence ofsuch recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid tounderstanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of theintroductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claimrecitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed toimply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinitearticles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing suchintroduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one suchrecitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases“one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or“an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “atleast one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use ofdefinite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, evenif a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitlyrecited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitationshould typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number(e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without othermodifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or morerecitations).

Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is: 1.-33. (canceled)
 34. A temperature controller for asorption system having an evaporator containing a working fluid toevaporate the fluid to produce a gas, the evaporator including anevaporator surface, a sorber containing a sorption material to sorb thegas during a sorption phase, a flow channel extending between theevaporator and the sorber to provide a gas pathway connecting theevaporator and sorber, a valve located within the flow channel andoperable to control the rate of gas flow in the flow channel between theevaporator and the sorber through the gas pathway, and a temperaturesensor positioned to measure the temperature of one of the evaporatorsurface and the air adjacent to the evaporator surface indicative of anevaporator surface temperature, and generate a temperature signal,comprising: an inflatable member having a first inflation state and asecond inflation state; and a control unit configured to evaluate thetemperature signal and in response control the state of inflation of theinflatable member and thereby the operation of the valve to control therate of gas flow between the evaporator and sorber through the gaspathway, when the inflatable member is in the first inflation state, theinflatable member causes opening of the valve to increase the rate ofgas flow in the flow channel between the evaporator and the sorberthrough the gas pathway, and when the inflatable member is in the secondinflation state, the inflatable member permits closing of the valve toreduce the rate of gas flow in the flow channel between the evaporatorand the sorber through the gas pathway.
 35. The temperature controllerof claim 34, further including a plurality of contact surfaces forremovably docking the temperature controller to the valve.
 36. Thetemperature controller of claim 34, wherein the control unit includes amicrocontroller operatively connected to the temperature sensor andconfigured to read the temperature signal of the temperature sensor, andif the temperature signal indicates an evaporator surface temperatureabove a stored temperature setpoint, the microcontroller changes theinflatable member from the second inflation state to the first inflationstate.
 37. The temperature controller of claim 34, further including anair compressor, wherein the control unit includes a microcontrolleroperatively connected to the temperature sensor and the air compressor,the microcontroller configured to read the temperature signal of thetemperature sensor, and if the temperature signal indicates anevaporator surface temperature above a stored temperature setpoint, themicrocontroller turns on the air compressor to inflate the inflatablemember to change the inflation member from the second inflation state tothe first inflation state.
 38. The temperature controller of claim 37,wherein the microcontroller is operatively connected to a memory, andthe stored temperature setpoint is stored in the memory.
 39. Thetemperature controller of claim 37, wherein the microcontroller ismounted on an electronic circuit board.
 40. The temperature controllerof claim 34, wherein the control unit includes an electronic circuitoperatively connected to the temperature sensor and configured to readthe temperature signal of the temperature sensor, and if the temperaturesignal indicates an evaporator surface temperature above a storedtemperature setpoint, the electronic circuit changes the inflatablemember from the second inflation state to the first inflation state. 41.The temperature controller of claim 34, further including an aircompressor, wherein the control unit includes an electronic circuitoperatively connected to the temperature sensor and the air compressor,the electronic circuit configured to read the temperature signal of thetemperature sensor, and if the temperature signal indicates anevaporator surface temperature above a stored temperature setpoint, theelectronic circuit turns on the air compressor to inflate the inflatablemember to change the inflation member from the second inflation state tothe first inflation state.
 42. The temperature controller of claim 34,wherein the control unit compares the temperature measured by thetemperature sensor with a stored temperature setpoint and inflates theinflatable member if the measured temperature is above the storedtemperature setpoint.
 43. The temperature controller of claim 34,further including at least one battery for powering the control unit anda display, and wherein the control unit indicates the state of the atleast one battery using the display.
 44. The temperature controller ofclaim 34 for a sorption system having an electrical heating circuit,wherein the control unit activates the electrical heating circuit whenthe temperature measured by the temperature sensor falls below apreselected temperature.
 45. The temperature controller of claim 34,further including a memory, and wherein the control unit stores in thememory the data measured by the temperature sensor during operation. 46.The temperature controller of claim 34 for a sorption system having apayload compartment, wherein the control unit controls the state ofinflation of the inflatable member to regulate the evaporationtemperature in the evaporator to maintain the temperature measured bythe temperature sensor at plus or minus 1 degree Kelvin of a preselectedtemperature.
 47. The temperature controller of claim 34, furtherincluding an air compressor, an air outlet valve and pneumatic conduitsconnecting the inflatable member with the air compressor for inflationof the inflatable member and with the air outlet valve for deflation ofthe inflatable member.
 48. The temperature controller of claim 47,wherein the valve is configured to have a biasing force applied theretobiasing the valve toward a closed state, and the air outlet valve ismovable to an open state to deflate the inflatable member, and when inthe open state, at least a portion of the biasing force applied to thevalve is transmitted to the inflatable member to facilitate changing theinflatable member from the first inflation state to the second inflationstate.
 49. The temperature controller of claim 47, wherein the airoutlet valve is manually operable to manually exhaust air from theinflatable member.
 50. The temperature controller of claim 47, furtherincluding a pressure sensor operatively connected to the control unit,the pressure sensor measuring the air pressure in at least one of thepneumatic conduits.
 51. The temperature controller of claim 50, whereinat least one of the air compressor and the air outlet valve is inoperation until the pressure sensor measures a stored pressure setpoint.52. The temperature controller of claim 47, further including a pressuresensor positioned to measure the air pressure in at least one of thepneumatic conduits and generate a pressure signal, and wherein thecontrol unit includes a microcontroller operatively connected to thepressure sensor and configured to read the pressure signal of thepressure sensor, and when the air compressor is inflating the inflatablemember, if the pressure signal indicates the pressure in the at leastone pneumatic conduit reaches a first stored pressure setpoint themicrocontroller terminates inflation of the inflatable member by the aircompressor, and when the air outlet valve is deflating the inflatablemember, if the pressure signal indicates a pressure in the at least onepneumatic conduit reaches a second stored pressure setpoint themicrocontroller terminates deflation of the inflatable member by the airoutlet valve.
 53. The temperature controller of claim 34, furtherincluding a pressure plate, and wherein the valve has a plunger which ismovable to open the valve, the pressure plate being located between theinflation member and the plunger, and when the inflation member isinflated to the first inflation state, the inflation member is inoperable engagement with the pressure plate and applies a force throughthe pressure plate to the plunger sufficient to cause the plunger toopen the valve.
 54. The temperature controller of claim 53, wherein thepressure plate is a rigid plate.
 55. The temperature controller of claim34, wherein when the temperature measured by the temperature sensorexceeds a stored temperature setpoint, the control unit causes inflationof the inflatable member to the first inflation state to open the valve,and when the temperature measured by the temperature sensor is below thestored temperature setpoint, the control unit causes deflation of theinflatable member to the second inflation state to close the valve. 56.The temperature controller of claim 55, wherein the control unit has amemory within which the stored temperature setpoint is stored.
 57. Thetemperature controller of claim 34, wherein when the temperaturemeasured by the temperature sensor exceeds a first stored temperaturesetpoint, the control unit causes inflation of the inflatable member tothe first inflation state to open the valve, and when the temperaturemeasured by the temperature sensor is below a second stored temperaturesetpoint, the control unit causes deflation of the inflatable member tothe second inflation state to close the valve.
 58. The temperaturecontroller of claim 34, wherein when the temperature measured by thetemperature sensor exceeds a first stored temperature setpoint, thecontrol unit causes inflation of the inflatable member to the firstinflation state to open the valve, and when the temperature measured bythe temperature sensor is below a second stored temperature setpoint,the control unit causes deflation of the inflatable member to the secondinflation state to close the valve.